Apple will launch a new MacBook Air and upgraded MacBook Pro laptops later this year. Unlike the iPhone, nobody can be sure when this will happen, and that's a problem.

If you go to buy a new Mac from Apple.com today, you’ll notice that things have changed. Instead of a variety of pre-configured options, you’ll see a single product page with “Customizable specs” that let you build your machine from the ground up. For the MacBook Pro, for example, you’ll select from the following options: